Shadowland: Jake's POV
by Literati Lover
Summary: This is basically Jake's POV during Shadowland. It is about his thoughts and growing feelings towards Suze that seem to have him confused. Follows the events in the book. Please at least give it a try and see if you like it!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

A/N: Okay, I get that their siblings, but it is STEP-siblings. So technically, it's not wrong. It's just weird. But I read a Suze/Jake (Sleepy) story, and it was amazing and I was really interested. So, when I re-read some of the books, I noticed a lot of scenes that could be taken as a protective older brother BUT if you open your imagination just a little, it could almost be seen as jealousy. So at least try it, first. Then if you don't like it, that's fine. But at least give it a try! And be sure to let me know what you think!

Suze. That was her name. My new sister, or well, STEP-sister to be exact. I'd heard my dad and his fiancé, my soon to be new mother, talk about her. Apparently, she was a little rough around the edges. And for some odd reason, she really despised old buildings. I'm sure that would be great, considering the house we had just bought was old, very old. I mean, how weird, huh? Someone who dislikes old buildings?

But whatever, I've seen weirder.

So, anyway, the first time I met her was at the wedding. And, ok, so I admit it. She was hot.

What is wrong with me? I have no idea. I cannot believe that I thought she was hot. But honestly, it was definitely not my fault. Because I noticed her at the wedding BEFORE I knew who she was.

I saw a girl with shoulder length dark hair, walking around with an air of confidence. But not that fake conceited type of confidence that girls like Kelly and Debbie have. It was more like she knew who she was and what she was doing. And well, I mean, she was definitely in good shape. She must have worked extra hard to keep a body like that. And since I am a guy and everything, I noticed.

Just as I was admiring her and about to walk over and introduce myself, I saw my dad call her over.

"Suze!" he said, waving her over towards us.

Just my luck. The girl I was checking out just happened to be my very-soon-to-be sister, or well- stepsister, but still.

She walked over as my dad called over the rest of the family and introduced all of us. I briefly said hi, nodded, and walked away.

It's not that I was trying to be rude or anything. I mean, I really wasn't. It's just that I was slightly weirded out by the fact that I had just been checking out my future stepsister. Besides, I was incredibly tired. I still wasn't used to working so late. But it would be worth it, once I got my Camaro.

Anyway, so after the wedding, we went to the reception. After a while, I decided that I needed some fresh air to keep me awake. So I stepped outside and saw Suze, and she was wearing a leather jacket and smoking a cigarette.

Well, I guess I'm in luck that she's my stepsister, after all. Because I definitely never wanted to date a human ashtray, or a gang member, which I was beginning to think she might possibly be.

I mean, after all, she did have that great body.

And, it is NOT weird that I noticed. Come on. I'm a guy, and it's not like she's blood related or anything. I just happened to notice is all.

Anyway, she was obviously in shape. Probably from all the fighting in whatever gang she had been in back in New York. I mean, gangs were pretty common there after all, weren't they?

So, of course, I came out and asked her if she was a gang.

What?! She seemed open enough. I didn't think she'd care.

But anyway, she denied that she was in a gang. I still didn't believe her though. I mean, she was always glancing weirdly over her shoulder or something like someone was going to pop up behind her. She was probably looking out for some member of an enemy gang, or something like that. I mean, I didn't know much about gangs. But that was the only explanation I could think of as to why she was so paranoid.

But I didn't want to seem too pushy, so I dropped the subject. I still didn't believe her, but I wasn't going to let _her_ know that.

So then the wedding was over, and everyone left. But then, it was up to us to help decorate her room.

Our parents were going all out in Suze's room. Andy installed a bay window and a canopy bed and made it so, well, so feminine. But the thing was, it didn't _seem_ like Suze at all. I mean, yeah, I guess Suze's mom would know her better than I did. But it just seemed like Suze wouldn't like it. But I decided not to say anything, on the chance that I would be wrong and end up looking like an idiot.

So I did my share and helped out. I wanted Suze to feel welcome here. Plus, maybe she would give up her gang activities if she felt more at home here.

Finally, after days of labor working on Suze's room, we were finally done. Suze would be here soon to move in, and I couldn't help wondering what she would think of the room.

I wondered if she'd appreciate all the hard work I had put into it.

I mean, not _me_ specifically. What I mean was all the hard work _we_ had put into it. Together. As a family.

I wasn't expecting her to personally thank me or appreciate me or whatever. I just meant, you know, in general.

Yeah, that's all.

Really, what is _WRONG _with me?!

A/N: Okay, that's all for now. Let me know how you like it and what you think. Is it too out of character for him? Is anything off? Any recommendations? Comments? Criticism? Just let me know! Please review! No matter what you have to say!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

So we were waiting at the airport for Suze to get there. Brad and David were holding up a giant sign that said WELCOME HOME, SUSANNAH!

Somehow, I felt that Suze wouldn't be too pleased with the sign, but then I shrugged it off.

What is wrong with me, thinking that I know everything Suze likes and feels. I mean, I've only said a total of one sentence to her.

I think not sleeping is really messing with my head.

So anyway, Suze finally arrived, wearing jeans with holes in the knees and that same leather jacket from the night of the wedding. Not to mention her Black T and her boots that went up to her ankles. Oh, and that giant bag she had slung over her shoulder.

Yeah, she definitely had to be in a gang. I mean, what's up with wearing that jacket here in California?

Anyway, I saw her walking towards us when she saw the sign. Her eyes widened a bit and her cheeks turned red, as I noticed someone say something to her. I'm pretty sure I heard them say the word "cute".

I grimaced. I had a feeling she didn't like being associated with the word "cute".

However, I saw that she quickly pushed her feelings aside, and walked up to us.

"Ok, you can put the sign down now," she started.

No "hello" or "I missed you" or anything like that. But then again, those didn't seem like Suze.

Great. Here I go again talking like I know Suze. The only thing I DO know is that something is wrong with me. I'm just not sure WHAT is wrong with me.

I heard her mom squeal, "Oh Susie!" and I raised my eyebrows.

Susie? Is that what she liked to be called?

I saw her turn and give me, David, and Brad an evil glare. Ok, I guess not.

I definitely will not be calling her Susie. I mean, after all, I don't want her coming in and killing me in the middle of the night. I mean, who knew what kind of things she could do to me, after all her gang experience and whatever.

I shuddered. I definitely didn't want to experience that firsthand.

Man, Suze was causing me an emotional roller coaster. I was definitely tired enough already. I didn't think I could handle this.

As I was thinking this, I couldn't hold back a yawn, but I noticed Suze look at me oddly.

Great. I mean, I get that I probably always look incredibly tired, she probably thinks I'm on like drugs or something. But hey, the Camaro will be worth it. That's all I keep telling myself.

But whatever. She probably didn't even care if I was on drugs. You know, on account of her being in a gang or something.

I saw my dad grab her bag and try to joke about its weight. Something about carrying a fire hydrant across state lines.

I grimaced, because the first thought that popped into my head was "dead body".

Yeah, okay, I mean I know I'm probably overreacting. But Suze was seriously scary sometimes. I didn't know her that well. She could have done some serious damage in that gang of hers.

I heard Suze joke back about it really being a parking meter, and I smirked a little. Just a little, though. Because I was _way_ too tired to fully smile.

Then I heard David giving Suze some more scientific facts. That boy was too smart for his own good. Then Suze's mom—or my mom too now, I guess—was going on about Suze's room.

I tried to listen just a bit in that. I wanted to see if she mentioned the fact that I helped.

Just because, well, I wanted Suze to know that I was a good older brother. That's all. Nothing more, really.

But she didn't, so I gave up listening, because I was too tired and it took too much effort. I vaguely heard Brad mention something about the sign, and then Suze asked if we could get her bags. I couldn't hear too well, though, because I'm pretty sure I was starting to fall asleep. Until I heard my name called out.

"Jake, come on. We're going to get Suze's bags," my new mother said, waking me from my almost-slumber.

I looked up to once again see Suze looking at me strangely. As if I wasn't enough of a freak already.

I quickly came back to my senses and headed towards baggage claim. I followed along as I casually kept my focus on Suze. I watched her reactions to the people and the airport.

She looked shocked, to say the least. I guess California was nothing like New York. But, then again, she was in a gang, and this "happy" environment had to be a drastic change for her.

We finally found Suze's bags, and I caught myself grabbing two of them. I was about to grab the other two, you know, just to show that I could. Carry them all, of course. But Brad beat me to it. So I just shrugged it off.

I mean, I wasn't about to fight with my brother over carrying extra bags, just because they were Suze's. I mean, first, it's weird enough that I feel this urge to impress her.

But fighting with my brother over something so stupid, well, that would be pathetic…and way too obvious.

I tried to figure out why I needed to impress Suze. Maybe I just wanted to be a good older brother, but it seemed to be more than that.

Until I decided that it had to be that I wanted to stay on her good side. You know, so that I wouldn't worry about her trying to take me down with her gang, or whatever.

When we walked out of the airport, I pulled out my sunglasses, along with everyone else. Well, everyone except for Suze. She probably didn't think she'd need them, considering what the weather was like back in New York. I almost thought about offering her mine, but that'd just be way too obvious.

I heard Suze's mom telling her about California and how she'd love it. I think the funniest part was seeing Suze's face as she saw a hummingbird.

She look so confused. It was kinda cute. Except for that it definitely wasn't. Because, well, I mean she's my stepsister and so she was definitely not cute.

And secondly, the words Suze and "cute" didn't seem like they belonged in the same sentence together.

I really wish I could figure out what's wrong with me.

I would see a shrink, but that'd just be too weird.

"Hi, my name is Jake. I am always working, so I'm constantly falling asleep in the middle of the day, probably appearing to everyone else that I either have narcolepsy or I do drugs. But that's not my biggest problem. No, because I'm really worried about what my new stepsister-who just happens to be in a gang- thinks of me. I'm not really sure why. Oh, and did I mention that I think she's hot?"

Yeah, that wouldn't go over so well. I have some serious issues.

We finally all reached the Land Rover and piled in. Suze was squeezed right between me and Brad. A little too close for comfort. And, well, it was really weird, because I wasn't as annoyed as I should have been. And THAT annoyed me even more.

I leaned my head against the side of the truck and looked out the window at the sun. This would be the perfect weather to lie down outside and take a nap. I started to doze off when Brad elbowed me in the stomach.

"Hey, Jake, she can't drive!"

So, big deal. She can't drive. I'll just drive her around. I mean, I don't mind. But I didn't say that aloud of course. I really wish I could stop my brain from thinking so many weird thoughts. It was making me even more tired.

I was going to say something in her defense, but David beat me to it, rambling on that no one in New York had to drive much. Then, I heard dad offer to let Suze get lessons soon. I was going to say that I didn't mind teaching her, but once again I stopped myself.

First, I was too tired to bother. And second, I already said I didn't want to be _too_ accommodating. I mean, it was weird enough to be thinking these things, but I definitely wasn't about to share them with the rest of the family.

Everyone kept talking, as I began to drift off again. But then I heard Suze gasp. I was going to look up, but decided against it. After all, I hadn't slept much, and I could barely open my eyes. Not to mention all of these thoughts I kept having were really wearing me out.

She sounded slightly embarrassed as she mentioned that it had been the ocean that caught her breath. But I didn't know why she'd be embarrassed. I had lived there for a long time, and the ocean still continued to amaze me.

I started to drift off again, especially with "mom's" story about our school, when I noticed that my head was feeling really heavy. I laid it down, without really realizing what I was doing. I didn't realize what I was resting my head on until it was too late. I had just put my head on Suze's shoulder. Whose hair, by the way, smelled a lot like vanilla. I breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent, before I realized what I was doing.

I am such a freak. Really. If Suze only knew what's been going on inside my head, she'd insist to move back to New York right away.

I was going to pull my head away, but then I stopped. First off, then she would know that I hadn't been asleep when I put my head there, and that would be really embarrassing. Also, her shoulder _was _pretty comfortable, and I _was_ pretty tired. So I decided to stay there. Then I noticed that Suze turned her head towards me a little bit and sniffed my hair. I tried to stay incredibly still, trying not to let Suze know that I was actually awake.

I was definitely glad that I had showered before going to the airport today. I mean, can you imagine if I had smelled like old, greasy pizza? I'm pretty sure Suze would have been even more weirded out by me.

I noticed Suze shift a little when she heard something about the school, but I didn't bother to listen. Until I heard her voice sound a little wary and panicked as she said something about the eighteenth century.

I felt worried. She sounded really upset, and I hated that. But I tried not to let it bother me, so I tried to drift off to sleep again. Although it was really difficult, because Suze's shoulder kept tensing more and more. Especially when our parents brought up our house.

Yep, just as I thought. Suze wasn't going to like our house. Something about old buildings or whatever. I remember her mom saying something about that before.

Finally, we got home, and I grudgingly lifted my head to get out of the car. It definitely _WASN'T_ that I enjoyed being close to Suze. It was just that I was tired, and she makes a good pillow.

I followed Suze out of the Rover, watching her panicked and wary expression at the house.

I mean, really, what was wrong with her? What was so wrong with old houses? I thought they were sorta nice, especially ours. Did this have something to do with the gang she was in? Were they, like, not allowed in old houses? Maybe I needed to research New York gangs or something. But, then again, could you even find something like that on the internet. I wasn't sure.

I saw Suze walk in and look over at all of the baby pictures. Yeah, just what I needed. Suze to see me in my incredibly dorky years. Why do you think I had worked out so much recently? I had finally earned myself a six pack.

I didn't want to be remembered as the gangly awkwardly tall boy with floppy blonde hair and buck teeth. Yeah, just what I wanted Suze to see.

What is wrong with me?

I really wish I could answer that question. But then again, I probably don't want to know the answer.

I saw Suze head upstairs to her room, and I decided to head to my room to take a nap. I mean, I couldn't follow her around. That was weird, and I'm pretty sure it would make her uncomfortable. Not to mention that she probably already thinks I'm enough of a freak.

I definitely needed a nap by now. I couldn't keep up with all of these weird and exhausting thoughts I kept having.

I took one last glance at Suze as she walked warily into her room upstairs, and I turned to my room, flopping down on the bed.

Finally, I could clear my head of these thoughts.

A/N: Okay, that's the end of part two. How it is?

Too weird? I mean, I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible. If Jake WERE to have this feelings, I'm pretty sure he'd be really, really weirded out and exhausted by them.

Let me know what you think/feel. Like it? Hate it? Any suggestions?

Please, review?! It's highly appreciated. And it let's me know that people are at least reading it. Thanks again for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

Okay, I had to make up a little for this chapter. The book didn't mention Jake's work at the pizza place at all, so I had to make it up on my own. Please let me know what you think!

I stayed in my bed until dinner time. Sadly, I didn't sleep too well. I mean, it was better than no sleep, but I still couldn't seem to clear thoughts of Suze out of my head.

And don't get any ideas. They weren't weird or perverted thoughts or whatever.

Just thoughts like, "I wonder if she likes her room" or "Did her mom tell her that I helped out?" or "I wonder what she does with that gang of hers" and "I wonder how many boyfriends she's had"

That last one stopped me. I was turning into a freak. I mean, really, she was my _sister_, after all. And okay, she wasn't _really_ my sister, considering we weren't like of the same DNA or whatever, but it was still _WEIRD_.

So, as you can see, my "sleep" was very frustrating. And then, it felt like just seconds later, dad was calling me to dinner.

You see, dinner at our house was a family thing. You didn't miss dinner unless you had a very good excuse, like lying in a hospital bed kind of excuse.

So I dragged myself out of bed, running a hand through my hair quickly. I had to make sure I didn't have any hair sticking out randomly.

I was NOT doing that because of Suze. It's just that it's rude to go out looking sloppy. That's all.

I made my way to the table, where I saw everyone was already gathered. I took my seat, which happened to be next to Suze, and I grabbed some food. I was completely starving. Not to mention that my dad's food is always so good. So I didn't really talk, I just sat and ate. And ate some more.

Plus, I didn't really want to say anything, on account of these weird thoughts I've been having. I mean, can you imagine if I accidentally let something slip?

How embarrassing would that be?

So, finally, everyone was done eating and it was time to clean up. Which, of course, no one volunteered. I mean, who actually WANTS to clean if you don't have to?

I heard mom mention something about Brad taking Suze to some party, and my attention piqued. I was going to volunteer to take her out somewhere or whatever, but I didn't get the chance. Because Brad said something that woke my memory.

"Yeah, maybe I could, if Jake wasn't working tonight," he said, throwing a look at me.

I let out a curse word and jumped up.

Work! I forgot again. I couldn't afford to keep being late like this. I guess this time my mind was just too exhausted from all of these weird thoughts.

I grabbed my jean jacket and headed for the door. Not before I heard David saying something about how I'm always late for work.

That's great. Just insult me in front of Suze, when I can't even defend myself. She already thinks I'm a freak, now she probably thinks I'm irresponsible too.

I jumped into the Ranger, put it into drive, and headed off to my favorite place (did you sense the sarcasm there?), Peninsula Pizza.

Delivering pizzas was definitely not my idea of a perfect job, but it made money. And money I definitely needed. Especially if I was going to get my Camaro.

After all, I got a lot of tip money. Granted, it was usually from teenage girls. Apparently, my floppy hair and eyelids that didn't seem to open all the way were attractive. Who would've thought? But I didn't care. If it made money, I didn't mind it.

I wonder what Suze thinks of my floppy hair….

Ok, forget that thought.

I got to work and punched in just one minute before I was late. I looked at my boss and saw her roll eyes at me and smile. She smiled a little too much, if you know what I mean. Sometimes I think her obvious crush on me was the only reason I was able to keep this job in the first place.

"Why, hello Jake. Running a little behind again, today?"

I was panting a little from running inside, but I managed to catch my breath and give her a small smile.

"Of course. Same as always," I said, smiling slightly back.

Hey, whatever. It was like job assurance, okay? And I _really_ _really_ wanted that Camaro.

"So, got any deliveries for me?" I asked her, yawning.

"Umm, not too many yet. Slow night so far," she said, turning to show me the two orders we had received.

"Great," I said, sarcastically. Normally, I wouldn't mind, you know, having a slow night. I could just sleep in my car. But sleep wasn't coming so easily today, and so I thought keeping busy might keep my mind a little more entertained.

"But, you know, I could think of other things to fill the time," Sadie (my boss) said, giving me a lustful look.

"You know, I'd love to. But I have to get these deliveries out. You know our 30 minute delivery policy," I said, grabbing the 'zas and heading out.

I get that she likes me and all, but she comes on a little too strong. Isn't that like sexual harassment or something?

Of course, I wouldn't say something, because I desperately needed this job. And I think she knew that, and that's why she kept at it.

It wasn't even that she was ugly or mean or anything. Actually, she was nice and fairly attractive. She had long brown hair and green eyes. But, she wasn't my type. I wasn't sure why.

Oh, not to mention that she was about 25, and I was only 18. That might have been another reason.

Besides, her hair wasn't the right color brown. It needed to be a little darker, like…

I stopped myself and groaned. I was not just comparing my boss' hair to Suze. Especially since Suze has only been in Carmel for less than a day.

What is _wrong_ with me?! I think I'm losing it.

I was driving along, listening to the radio and heading to my first stop, when I heard my favorite song. I turned it up. I liked to keep the music loud when I delivered so that I didn't fall asleep at the wheel.

I started to hum along and then stopped when my next thought came.

I wonder if Suze would like this song? I wonder what kind of music she listens to?

I tried to clear my head and began focusing more on the lyrics.

For some reason, I couldn't do it. Every time I thought of something knew, I wondered what Suze would think. I wondered if she'd like that song or that band or that radio station or that restaurant I drove past.

It was a little obsessive, yet very very awkward.

After clearing my thoughts as much as possible and finishing those deliveries, I headed back into the pizza shop to see if we had any more orders.

I walked in to see Sadie on the phone. I tried to slide past her and get the orders before she could hang up. I wanted to avoid her, if possible. All of her unnecessary attention just made me incredibly uncomfortable.

I didn't want that kind of attention from anyone except……

Forget that thought.

I didn't want that kind of attention. Period.

But, sadly, I had no luck. She hung up the phone and grabbed my arm.

"Jake, why don't you stay for a little bit? There's only one more order, and it _JUST_ finished. You have plenty of time before the 30 minutes is up, and their house is just down the street," she said, putting on a pouty face.

She blinked a lot, and I was thinking that maybe she was trying to be seductive. I shuddered at the thought.

"You know, that sounds really great, but the faster I get the pizza there, the better the tip," I said, yawning.

I was definitely too tired for this.

"Jake, come on…" she whispered in my ear.

Okay, really. This was definitely creepy. I mean, yeah, okay, she was sorta hot. And I guess people say it's hot to have an older woman hit on you. But, it didn't make _ME _feel hot at all. It just made me feel weird.

But, then again, wasn't my life feeling very weird anyway, ever since Suze came into the picture?

Luckily, I wriggled out of her grasp, grabbed the order, and left.

It was basically the same for the rest of the night. She would try to "seduce" me, if you could even call it that. I would somehow manage to get the small amount of orders we had and slip out as quickly as possible. I would deliver them, think about Suze, try to STOP thinking about Suze, and etc.

I was so happy to finally be off for the night. I headed out to my Ranger and finally headed home.

Maybe I could finally get some real sleep. I hoped.

A/N: Okay, that's it for part three. I hope you like it! Let me know how I'm doing and what you think I should change.

Please review? It makes me write faster, and I really appreciate it!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

On the first day back to school after break, I got up, reluctantly. I was ready to drive everyone to school, but I realized that Suze wasn't riding with us. Apparently, mom—I was still getting used to calling her that-- had to take her today to fill out some new student forms. So, reluctantly, I let Brad and David climb into the car, before we headed off.

I looked over to see Suze getting into the car with her mom, or our mom now, I guess. She was dressed in a lot of black, and the clothes were a little form-fitting. I could feel my face burn a little bit as I turned away.

I really need to get myself looked at.

I pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the school.

After being in school for just a short while, I was already hearing a few whispers and rumors about Suze. First, I heard that she was awfully close to Father Dominick today.

Whatever. People will spread rumors about anything. Close to the Father? I mean, yeah, okay, I know she's a little excessive and everything. But I highly doubt she's got something going on with the priest. That's wrong in just so many ways. Maybe even _more _wrong than if she had something going on with her oldest stepbrother.

Ok, forgetting that thought.

Another thing I heard going around was that she was hot. Yeah, sadly, I had already realized that.

Oh, and the last thing I heard was that she put Debbie in her place. Something about Debbie picking on that Albino kid. Apparently, Suze didn't like it. I guess she threatened to break her hand or something.

The thing is, I'm pretty sure she was capable, of breaking Debbie's hand. You know, on the whole account of her being in a gang and everything.

I smirked. I was impressed that Suze wasn't afraid or intimidated of Debbie. But then again, being in a gang in New York was way more dangerous than anything Debbie could do here in Carmel.

After a long and tiring morning, it was finally lunch time. I headed outside to find my spot next to Bryce. I plopped down on the picnic table and looked up at the sun. I then closed my eyes, relaxing in the breeze.

I heard Bryce say something, and my ears perked up.

"Wow, check out the new girl," he said, nodding at the girl.

I turned to see Suze looking around and admiring the lunch room, which really wasn't a room at all, since it was outside.

I saw Suze occasionally glance over at our table, and I wondered what she was thinking.

"She is_ HOT_," Bryce said, glancing back at her.

Yeah. Once again, I'd already noticed. But, of course, I didn't say this. I mean, it's weird enough to think it, let alone say it.

"That's Suze, you know. My new stepsister," I said, trying to be casual about it.

"Well, too bad for you. But lucky for me," he said, laughing slightly, then frowning again. If only he knew how bad it really was for me.

"I guess you're recovering quickly," I said, referring to his relationship with Heather.

Bryce had just recently broken up with his girlfriend, Heather. Right afterward, she had a mental breakdown and she decided to kill herself. Of course, Bryce seems to blame himself for this, even though it's not his fault. You can't help if you don't like someone anymore. I mean you can't control your feelings all the time.

Believe me, I should know.

"Nah, not really. I just have to move on, you know," he said, sadly.

I nodded and shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't so great at comforting my friends, okay? I mean, what was I supposed to do?

I noticed that Suze was still looking over here, so I decided to close my eyes again and face the sun. I didn't want her to know I was looking back at her.

I tried not to think about how that outfit made her look, but I wasn't succeeding. I felt the cold breeze and realized that it would be nice to go surfing. I wonder if Suze would like to try that out.

I groaned internally again at my thoughts. What is wrong with me? I really wish I could control these thoughts. It's so annoying.

I tried to clear my thoughts of Suze when I heard Bryce hit the ground and I looked over to see what was going on. Suze was already over near me. Actually, to be exact, she was in Bryce's arms, with her head pressed tightly against his chest, rolling along the ground with him.

I stood up in shock and then I heard a loud explosion. I looked over to see that a large piece of the rafters had fallen exactly where Bryce had been sitting. If it weren't for Suze, Bryce would probably be visiting Heather, wherever she was now.

I noticed pieces of wood flew at Suze, and I was suddenly worried. I mean, yeah, part of me was amazed. She had just risked her life for my best friend, who also happened to be a complete stranger to her. But, still I was worried nonetheless. I mean, by saving him, she could have _DIED_.

I looked over at her to see if she was okay, when I saw that she was still lying on top of Bryce, her head on his chest as he held her closely. My body tensed. But I quickly shrugged it off.

I mean, she just saved his life, and here I am upset that Suze's perfect body is pressed up against my best friend. I really do have something wrong in the head.

Bryce was laying so still, staring in shock at the pieces of broken wood. I mean, I guess I would be too, if I had almost just died. I saw Suze lift her head and look up at his face. It seemed like their eyes locked for a second, and I felt my shoulders tense more. I felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Luckily, Father Dominick came rushing over to us, interrupting the moment with his frantic worrying, and asking to see if Suze and Bryce were okay.

Suze rose slowly, as if she was checking each bone to see if it was broken. It was almost like she had experience in this type of situation.

Oh, right. I forgot about the gang thing.

I heard Bryce, shocked, as he thanked Suze for saving his life. He was definitely amazed. And, well, so was I.

She risked her life for a complete stranger. She was even more amazing than I thought.

I mean that in a completely platonic way, of course.

I saw Suze dust herself off, before picking splinters off of Bryce's coat. She touched him so gently, it was like they were dating or something.

Not that I cared.

I saw another staff member rush over and speak with the priest. I heard the priest say that Suze looked pale and needed to see the nurse and I stiffened. Was she okay? Did she have a broken bone that she missed? Was she just in shock?

I looked over to her and I noticed that she _SEEMED_ fine.

But then Father Dominick mentioned that he would take her to the nurse, as he shooed the rest of us away.

I reluctantly turned to leave, glancing one last time at Suze to make sure she was okay. Then I left.

Why did Suze have to show up and make my life so difficult?

I walked towards my next class with Bryce beside me. He was still a little shaken, but he decided to speak anyway.

"So, your stepsister is pretty awesome," he said, smiling a bit.

"Yeah," I said, casually. I mean, I didn't want to disagree, because it was the truth.

"I think I'm gonna ask her out, you know. To say thanks for saving me. And, because well, the obvious. She's hot and all," he said, smirking.

I felt my shoulders tense. I wanted to tell him that it was too soon after Heather, but I didn't want to be pushy. I didn't want him to be curious about me.

So, instead I said something else that I hoped would deter him.

"I think she's in a gang," I said, being sure not to look at him and give myself away.

What? It was the truth. I really did think that she was in a gang. Shouldn't a guy know the truth about a girl before he risked his life by dating her?

Not that I thought Suze would kill him or anything, especially since she had just saved his life.

I didn't _really_ think she was dangerous. Or, not _too_ dangerous at least.

Even if she _was _dangerous to my sanity.

"Yeah, well I like a little danger," he said, laughing and wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I suppressed a groan as I tried to push the thought away.

"Hey, I gotta go. I got a huge splinter under my nail, and it's really bugging me. I'm gonna see if the nurse can get it out. Check you later, dude," he said, running away towards the nurse's office.

"Yeah, later," I said, waving my hand.

Great. Just what I needed. To be jealous of my best friend.

Jealous?! I mean, I wasn't jealous. I was definitely NOT jealous.

I was just looking out for my friend. I didn't want him dating a gang member. Especially after he just lost his last girlfriend so drastically.

But, instead, I just let it go. Whatever. I mean, this could turn out good, right?

Maybe if Suze had a boyfriend, then I wouldn't think about her so much?

Maybe I just wanted to know that she had a good guy and was safe, then I'd feel better. I was just being a protective older brother. That was all.

Bryce was a good guy. Maybe I could finally relax if I knew Suze was in good hands.

At least I hoped so. I was tired of not sleeping.

A/N: Okay, that's all for now. I hope that you like it. Tell me what I could do better. Please review?!


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

After school that day, I noticed David was extremely excited about something. As soon as Suze got in the car, I realized what it was.

He began prodding her and complimenting her on how exciting it was that she was so popular on her first day and how awesome she was for saving Bryce.

I didn't say anything, because I definitely agreed. I just didn't want to _say_ that I agreed. After all, I didn't want Suze to know that I thought of her as anything more than an annoying little sister.

I was trying to keep my mind off of Suze and how amazing she was as I struggled to get the car to start. Then, I heard her mention that she just did what anyone would do in her situation.

I tried not to laugh. Yeah, right. Like anyone would just risk their life for a stranger. I highly doubted that.

Suze was just absolutely and utterly amazing. I also couldn't help but think about how she looked today. And then I was _really really _frustrated.

WHY WOULDN'T THESE THOUGHTS GO AWAY? AND WHY COULDN'T I GET THIS STUPID RANGER TO START?!

"_All_ of you shut up!" I heard myself screaming. I don't even know what I said next, but it was something about Brad and David hitting each other and yelling in my ear, and Suze's big, attractive head.

But I don't think I said attractive out loud. At least, I hope I didn't.

Later that night, I had to work my delivery shift, but there was nothing new. Sadie hit on me, I couldn't get my mind off of Suze, and I was incredibly tired. Yeah, nothing new.

It didn't help that when I got home, Brad informed me that Suze got at least four calls tonight. Once of which he heard was Bryce, calling to get the details about his _date _with Suze on Saturday. Then, she had another call, in which Kelly invited Suze to her new party on Saturday.

I'm not sure why Brad thought I would be interested in Suze's life. Of course, I _was_ interested, but I hoped he didn't know that.

So what that my stepsister was now becoming really popular and going out with my best friend? Big deal….

Why should I care anyway?

The bad thing is that I did care. I cared a lot, and _that_ is what made me so angry and frustrated. I didn't want to care.

Caring about it was annoying and tiring and frustrating, and well, _weird_. I hated it.

And yet, I couldn't just _stop_ caring. It's like I had no choice.

I was frustrated beyond belief, and I just groaned into my pillow, trying once again to fall asleep as I rolled over.

Why couldn't I sleep much anymore? I was already tired enough from my job and school, now throw Suze into the mix. It was definitely unfair! That's what it was.

And completely frustrating. And embarrassing. And _weird_.

Think about it. How embarrassing is it that I can't get thoughts of my stepsister out of my head? If my parents knew, they'd go ballistic. If Brad knew, I'd _never_ hear the end of it. If Suze knew, well I'm not sure what she'd do. Either insist to move back to New York or possibly get her gang to kill me. I didn't really know, but I definitely didn't want to find out.

As you can see, it was absolutely horrifying. I was horrified and appalled at what a sick human being I had become. I mean, being _jealous_ of my best friend going out with my _step sister_. What was my problem?

After lying like this for what felt like eternity, I must have drifted off at some point.

Finally, when I woke in the morning, I felt completely exhausted. I did not sleep well at all.

I was running around trying to find the keys to the Rambler. I could have sworn I left them on the key hook in the kitchen. All the while, I'm shouting for someone to wake up Suze, because for some reason she was still in bed.

What was up with Suze, anyway?! Why was she sleeping so late? Didn't she know she was going to be late, and I was going to have to leave without her. Well, if only I could find my keys!

Of course, I would have waited for her, but David said he'd be in trouble if he was late for another assembly. I admit, I may be having some weird feelings about Suze, but they weren't enough to get my little brother into trouble when he didn't even do anything.

Finally, Suze stumbled down the stairs wearing the shirt from yesterday, but with different pants. It was all wrinkled, and you could tell she had just rolled out of bed.

She looked tired. But yet, I still couldn't bring myself to say she looked horrible, because she didn't. Tired, yes. Horrible, not at all.

I had to tear my eyes away from her and keep looking for my keys. Why am I always running late? Why is my life so difficult sometimes?

I saw that as soon as Suze heard me mention my missing keys, and she ran back up to her room to grab her leather jacket. I then saw her rush over to the landing and drop the keys. A second later, she strolled by, pretending to find them.

I narrowed my eyes at her, but I didn't say anything. What was I going to say?

Oh, Suze. I'm watching your movements so closely that I noticed that you didn't really find the keys there. You had them all along.

That wouldn't go over so well. Considering _most_ people wouldn't have even noticed, because it was so subtle. Then again, _most_ people aren't completely watching their stepsister's every move, unable to tear their eyes away.

As you can see, I definitely couldn't say anything. So instead, I just pretended to go along with her story—for now.

"Here, Slee—I mean, Jake, I found these on the landing," she said, handing them to me.

What was she about to call me? I couldn't help wondering, but I had more important things to worry about right now.

I narrowed my eyes and raised my eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Oh really? I could have sworn that I left them on the key hook last night," I said, pointedly.

She dropped her gaze from my own. Aha! I knew something was up.

"Ha. Well, I guess not," she said, shrugging her shoulders and turning away quickly.

I dropped it and followed her out the door. We were already late enough as it was. I didn't have time to deal with this now.

But I did want to know where Suze had been late last night?

I got home around eleven, so she had to have gone out _after_ that. Where, exactly, had she gone? And why?

Was she sneaking around to see some guy? Bryce, maybe?

Nah. Bryce wasn't like that. Even though, he did mention that he liked danger. Still, I doubted that it was him. Anyway, I could just ask him today in school if I needed to.

Was it someone else, then? Was it some other guy?

My chest tightened. Exactly how many guys was she seeing?!

Oh, wait. Maybe it was the gang thing. That must be it.

She must have been out looking for a new gang. That would explain why the keys were in her leather jacket. And why she had to go out so late, instead of normal waking hours.

Although, sadly, I'm not sure which scared me more. The idea of her in a gang or the idea of her sneaking out late at night to meet some guy.

And _that_ was really scary. I shouldn't care if she meets up with other guys, but I do care. Not only do I care, but I care _way too much! _I really hated this.

Although, you would think that if she was meeting up with some guy---or even sneaking out to meet up with a gang—she'd have the decency to fill the tank with gas. Because, I noticed that there was not the same amount of gas in the car as I had left the previous night.

Yeah, Suze. You are _SO_ busted!

Then, I definitely couldn't help my annoyance when we got to school two minutes too late. Sister Ernestine gave us all the evil glare until we made our way to our place in line. I looked over to notice a bunch of yellow caution tape, as well as Father Dominick talking to a CBTSPD—Carmel by the sea police department—personnel. What had happened?

What was up with this school, anyway? There was always something weird going on around here.

Later, I found out that apparently, a group of vandals had broken in and sabotaged the place, breaking off the head of the statue of Father Serra. Who would do something like that? A gang?

And then I froze.

No. It couldn't be. Suze wouldn't really break into school and vandalize the place, would she?

I know she seemed tough, but that was a bit much, even for her.

Was it just a coincidence that she happened to have the car keys the same night this had happened? And that she felt it necessary to _hide_ the fact that she had the keys in her black leather jacket—which was clearly used for sneaking around at night with her last gang.

Could it be just a coincidence? It definitely didn't seem like it.

I was distracted by my thoughts when I saw Sister Ernestine come around and shoo everyone back to their classes.

It wasn't until a while later that I heard a huge commotion in the hall and someone came running down the hall shouting that Father Dominick and Bryce had been killed.

WHAT?!

Everyone went running out of their class to see what had happened. I think I ran faster than anyone. Well, until I saw Suze running.

And let me tell you, that girl was _fast_. Maybe it was from outrunning so many gang members in the past, I wasn't sure.

I finally caught up to the scene in time to hear that a giant cross in the priest's office was about to fall on Bryce when the priest showed up and pushed him out of the way.

I think someone had it in for Bryce. That's for sure. What was_ up_ with this school?!

I heard Sister Ernestine threaten Suze (and everyone else) to get to class, and I briefly heard Suze mention something about our mother—yes, _OUR_ mother, because she was my step sister, which was why I definitely shouldn't be thinking about her so much.

Anyway, I briefly heard her mentioning calling our mom and having her news crew come down to the Mission. Sister Ernestine shut up after that, and I smirked.

Suze was definitely something else.

I looked over and saw Bryce being pulled out on a stretcher first. Apparently, he was lucky and had only broken a collar bone. But he was moaning as if he was dying. I rolled my eyes and looked over to watch Suze's reaction.

Suze looked amused and…._disgusted?!_

Ha! Take that, Bryce!

No! What was _wrong _with me?! My best friend just got his collar broken and he's in pain, and I'm over here, glad that Suze is disgusted with his reaction.

By this time, I was really disgusted with myself. And I'm pretty sure that if Suze knew, she'd be disgusted with me as well.

I saw Father Dominick being pushed out next. Now _he_ had it bad: broken ribs and a broken leg. Ouch!

It was nice of him to save Bryce, though. I always knew he was a nice guy, but I guess it was just cool to know firsthand. It was nice to know that he really cared about the students.

I saw David run over to Suze. It was so cute that he was so infatuated with her.

Except that, well, it wasn't cute. Because I felt the same way—to an extent—and it _DEFINITELY_ wasn't cute. It was sickening.

So seeing this—mixed with Sister Ernestine's threatening face—I turned and headed back to my class.

Things with Suze around just kept getting more and more interesting.

A/N: End chapter five. I hope that you all are enjoying this so far. Any more recommendations? Suggestions? Comments? PLEASE review?! It makes me very happy!

Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

Lunch today was less eventful than yesterday, that's for sure.

For one, there were no rafters falling, at least not yet. Second, Bryce was in the hospital, meaning I was sitting alone. Not that it was _too_ much of a difference, considering we didn't talk too much anyway. We both enjoyed the sun and the breeze, and we had an unspoken agreement that we didn't need to say much. But still, it was even quieter than usual.

I casually looked around and spotted Suze talking to her two new friends, I wasn't sure of their names. I guess it was some guy and the albino girl, at least that's what Brad tells me.

Why he thinks I want to know, I'm not sure. But he made sure to tell me. He also thought that I should know that her new guy friend (whatever his name was) seemed infatuated with Suze.

Yeah. I know the feeling. It's a _very_ weird feeling.

He smirked when he told me, and I wondered what was up. I hoped he hadn't noticed that I've been acting weird around Suze. I definitely haven't _said_ anything.

I didn't need Brad suspecting anything. He would never let me live it down.

Anyway, I looked over to see Suze say something to _that guy_ and I saw his eyes practically pop out of his head as he started choking.

I wonder what she had said. I thought about it and shrugged it off. I didn't need to know anyway. I needed to keep my mind off of Suze. I turned back to the sun, leaned back on the monkey bars, and closed my eyes behind my sunglasses. I tried to think about something else, anything else. Surfing seemed like a good topic. The feel of the water splashing against your face as you rode a big wave. That was the life.

I hated not being able to surf much anymore. Thanks to my job and school, I was very limited on time. Maybe I should try to make some free time this weekend. I wonder if Suze has ever been surfing. Maybe I should offer to take her.

Scratch that thought. I'm supposed to be thinking of something other than Suze.

Just as I was about to doze off, I heard the object of my affections….ahem…..I meant the object of my thoughts calling out my name.

"Slee….Jake!" I heard her wonderful voice say.

I _really_ need some serious help.

She nudged me with the toe of her boot, and I squinted up at her from behind my sunglasses. Even though she was wearing her wrinkled top from yesterday (which I noticed she had thrown a light jacket over), she still looked amazing.

I groaned internally. Sometimes I hated myself.

"Hey, Jake, Don't wait for me after school. I found my own ride," she said, glancing over at where she had been sitting.

Ah, so that's what she had said to _that guy_. She was asking for a ride.

I wonder why she didn't want to ride with me. Did she sense that something was up? Was she catching onto me?

I really hoped that she wasn't noticing how interested I was in her. It was bad enough feeling like this, but having her _know_ what I was thinking and feeling would be unbearable.

Or did she really like this guy? Did she just want some alone time with him? What was so special about him? I'd have to find out more about him later to see if he was good enough.

While I was thinking this, I noticed that Suze was still looking at me expectedly. I grunted in agreement and closed my eyes.

What was I supposed to say?

I didn't really feel like talking. I didn't want my voice to show the frustration and confusion that I was feeling. Plus, what was I going to say? "No, you can't ride with anyone else. I want you in the car with me so I can keep an eye on you. And watch you way too closely, because I'm a creep."

Obviously, I couldn't say that. I didn't really have any other choice but to agree.

After she left, I tried to go back to thinking about something else. Like my Camaro. I was thinking red would be a nice color. Or maybe black. I hadn't decided yet.

I knew that I needed good stereo, since I liked to keep the music loud. Maybe I'd even throw in some nice rims.

I wonder what Suze would think when I got my Camaro. Would she want to ride with me then?

I continued to imagine what it would be like, riding along in my Camaro (with T-tops, of course) with Suze. The wind blowing her vanilla-scented dark brown hair behind her.

I stopped myself after that, refusing to let my fantasy get any further. I'm not sure where the thought would have led, but I didn't want to find out.

I was getting really tired of these thoughts, and I wanted to get rid of them for good. How was I going to spend the rest of my life with Suze as a stepsister if I couldn't even get her out of my head for a day? Scratch that. I couldn't even get her out of my head for a total of five minutes. It was pathetic.

Once lunch was over, I went through the rest of the day groggily. I can't even remember the last time I had been this tired. It was awful.

After school, I walked out to the Rambler. I looked over to see Suze getting into what I assumed was _that guy's_ car—a brand new Volkswagen Bug. Obviously, he had money. That was just great. Here I am, driving a Rambler and trying hard to earn this Camaro, and this guy's over here driving a brand new car.

The good news: Suze wasn't alone with him. The albino girl (sorry, I don't know her name) was in the car with her.

The bad news: _That guy_ was holding open her door, beaming up at her like they were going on some sort of a date.

I didn't realize I was glaring until I felt Brad's hand land on my shoulder.

"What's got you so uptight?" he said, smirking at me and raising his eyebrows as he glanced over at Suze and _that guy_.

I quickly shrugged his hand off of my shoulder.

"Get in the car already," I said, turning to get in the Rambler.

I heard Brad snicker as he and David got into the car.

"Shut up!" I said, glaring at him menacingly.

This is _just_ what I needed: Brad finding comedy in my sick, twisted, and pathetic obsession.

"Where's Suze?" I heard David ask.

"Ask Jake," Brad said, smirking as he chuckled.

I glared at him again.

"She's riding with some friends," I tried to say calmly, as I pulled out of the parking spot.

"What are you laughing about?" I heard David ask Brad.

"Well, you see, David. Jakey here has a little cr…"

But I didn't let him finish.

"Brad, SHUT UP!" I said, my face red, as I jerked the car out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

I think Brad finally saw how serious I was. He looked over at my face, rolled his eyes, and smirked as he turned to look out the window. But at least he shut up.

How embarrassing. I really think my life has hit an all-time low.

After getting home, I tried to take a short nap. It took longer than usual to fall asleep, on account of the fact that I was constantly thinking about where Suze was or what she was doing.

I finally drifted off, only to wake a few hours later by the phone ringing.

I picked it up and answered, groggily.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jake. It's Bryce."

"Yeah, Bryce. I know your voice by now. I knew it was you," I said, yawning.

"Oh, well sorry," he said, chuckling lightly. He still sounded like he might be a little loopy on medication.

"Yeah, no problem. So….what did you call for?" I asked, curious.

Bryce and I didn't talk all that much, and especially not on the phone. If he called, he always had something he wanted to say.

"I was just calling to tell you that your new stepsister showed up to visit me today. You know, the hot one," he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Umm, yeah. Well she's the only stepsister I have, so I'm pretty sure you didn't have to elaborate. I know who you're talking about. And, by the way, she has a name. It's Suze," I said a little bitterly.

Sorry, but I didn't want him to refer to my new stepsister as "the hot one."

Besides, I didn't want to think of the words "hot" and "Suze" in the same sentence ever again.

"Yeah, I know her name. I mean, I had to and all, considering we were supposed to go on a date Saturday night," he explained.

I knew this already, on account of Brad telling me. But I still didn't want to hear it. Then again, he said was _supposed _to go. As in, past tense. I relaxed a little at that.

"Supposed to?" I asked, curiously, but trying not to sound _too_ interested.

"Well, yeah. I can't go now, since I'm in the hospital. But it sucks, because I was definitely looking forward to it. I mean, I was going to take her to a nice restaurant, and then I was going to kiss her goodnight. But I guess that's not gonna happen," he said, sighing in defeat.

I felt my whole body tense at that.

I _DEFINITELY_ didn't want to think of the words "Suze" and "kiss" in the same sentence. That's for sure.

I definitely couldn't afford to get the image of me and Suze kissing in my head. I'm pretty sure if I did, it would never go away. So I quickly shrugged off the idea, before I could form a mental picture.

But, in doing so, I started to picture Bryce kissing Suze, and I felt sick. And angry.

I guess, since I didn't respond, he thought that meant he should keep talking.

"I mean, I know she's your sister and all…"

"_STEP_-sister," I felt the need to add through gritted teeth.

Great. Just what I needed. My friend to think I'm crazy and obsessed too.

"Whoa, sorry. I'll try again. I know she's your _STEP_ sister and all, but she's still incredibly hot. And look at the way she walks around. She definitely seems experienced. I bet you she's one incredible kisser," he said, his voice drifting off.

I was starting to get really annoyed.

First off, she was my _STEP_ sister, NOT my sister. That was a big difference, believe me.

Second, I didn't want to think of Suze as experienced _AT ALL_. I would prefer that she had never had any experience ever!

And lastly, I really, really didn't want to think of how incredible of a kisser Suze was.

"Yeah, sorry man, I hadn't noticed," I said, clearly lying.

What did you expect me to say? "Yeah, my sister's hot, and I think about her constantly. I'm pretty much obsessed."

Obviously, I couldn't say that.

I'm such a freak.

"Well, obviously. That'd be weird if you had," he said, oddly.

Yeah, thanks for that. As if I needed someone else telling me I was weird in order to know that it was true. I was already well aware of that.

"Ha, yeah. You're right," I said, awkwardly, trying to laugh it off.

"Anyway, our date had to get called off since I was in the hospital. But still, it was nice that she came and visited me. So, I was thinking, you know, that maybe you could keep me updated on anything going on in her life in the area of love interests. After all, I'm going to be in the hospital for quite a bit, and I want to make sure that no one's moving in, if you catch my drift."

I felt my eyes narrow. He wanted me to keep an eye on her love life?

That was like stalking her. Not that I wasn't pretty much doing that already. But still, having someone _ask_ me to do it was just…wrong.

"Come on, Bryce. She's only met you once. I can't stop her from dating other guys," I said, rolling my eyes.

I definitely wish that I could. If I could, I would make sure that she never dated anyone but me.

I quickly pushed that thought aside.

"I'm not saying not to let her date anyone else. I just want you to keep me updated," he finished.

"Fine," I said, grudgingly.

What else was I supposed to say? I didn't want to say no and risk him thinking something was up.

"Alright, cool. Thanks man! I'll owe you," he said, hanging up.

Yeah. Whatever.

I was really annoyed by now and decided to go back to sleep until dinner time.

Hopefully, I could clear my head of Suze enough to finally get some rest.

But I knew that was a lost cause. I sighed, rolled over, and gave into the thoughts about Suze that I had been suppressing all day.

A/N: Okay, that's all for now! Please review and tell me what you think! Tell me if this chapter was okay. I know it sort of wasn't in the book, but tell me if I did it okay?

Please review?!

And thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

Thanks for the review, **Lollipop10122**!! I'm glad you enjoy it! Reviews really help me want to write more. I never feel inspired to write if I don't think anyone's reading! So Thanks again!

I woke up to hear dad calling me to get to the table for dinner. I had finally gotten a decent amount of rest. Apparently, giving in to my thoughts about Suze was more relaxing than trying to ignore them.

Although, it still would be _much_ easier if I didn't have them at all.

I dragged myself out of bed and looked at the clock. I noticed that it was a little later than when we usually ate dinner. I quickly looked in the mirror and ran a hand through my hair until it was satisfactory, and then I headed out to the table.

I sat down in time to hear "mom" ask Suze where she had been. Apparently, she had just gotten home. So that's why we were having dinner a little later. I wondered what had kept her out so late, so I tried to listen closely.

She had mentioned going out with some friends, but she still hadn't said anything else. Dad then asked her if she had fun and she nodded.

I wish she were having fun with me instead.

Never mind, forget that thought.

I ate quietly, as I listened to more about the conversation when I heard Doc ask Suze who she had gone with. After all, he seemed quite interested in why she didn't ride home with us today. Sadly, he wasn't the only one who was interested…

"Adam McTavish and CeeCee Webb," I heard her say, as Brad snorted and called them freaks.

I saw Suze look angry, and I was about to smack Brad for upsetting her, but dad called him out first.

Then Brad tried to defend himself by calling her friends an albino and a fag.

That earned him a wallop on the head and a grounding.

I smirked at him.

Ha! That's what you deserve for trying to mock me earlier about my pathetic infatuation with Suze.

I'm glad Suze had said their names, Adam and CeeCee, because I definitely didn't want to get on her bad side by calling them anything else.

Noting the way Suze glared at Brad, being on her bad side was _not_ a good thing.

First, for some reason, I seemed to really care what Suze thought about me.

The other reason is that I didn't want her trying any of her gang tactics on me.

Later, while we were clearing plates, I heard Suze mention to Brad that he would no longer be able to attend Kelly's pool party that she earned him an invitation to.

I looked over and watched their interaction.

"Too bad, bubby" I saw Suze say, faking sympathy as she patted his cheek.

I smirked. Suze really was something else.

Then, I saw Brad slap her hand away. "At least no one will be calling me a fag hag tomorrow."

I felt my fists clench, and I was going to do what good older brothers do and teach my younger brother a lesson, but then I realized I didn't need to. Suze was dealing with the problem on her own. And it was very entertaining.

"Oh Sweetie," Suze said, reaching up and pinching his cheek. "You'll never have to worry about people calling you that. They call you _much_ worse things."

I snorted at this, but I don't think they noticed. Brad was too angry, and Suze was enjoying it way too much.

Brad slapped her hand away again, and I glared at him and clenched my fists again. He didn't seem to notice. But it didn't bother Suze in the least, so I felt my fists relax.

"Promise me you'll never change. You're so adorable just the way you are," she said, talking to him like a baby.

I chuckled. Suze was even more incredible than I thought.

Just then I heard Brad say a dirty word, just as dad was walking in. Needless to say, Brad was sent to his room and grounded for an extra week.

He went stomping up the stairs, deliberately drawing out each step and stomping as loudly as possible.

I looked over at Suze. "That was priceless," I said, giving her a half-smile of approval.

Hey, I couldn't smile completely. That would be _way_ too obvious.

"Thanks, I try," she said, laughing lightly. "Well, I'm off to bed, I'm incredibly tired. I didn't get much sleep last night for some reason," she said, walking off to her room.

I watched her slowly and my stomach dropped. Yeah, she didn't get much sleep, because she was out last night……with the car. Doing…..well I'm not quite sure what she was doing. Meeting up with some guy? Trying to find a new gang?

My chest felt tight and I tried to push the thought away.

I heard Brad's music get really loud. Apparently, he was trying to show his fury by blasting the Beastie Boys so loudly that Suze wouldn't be able to sleep.

Brad was such a baby, sometimes.

I was going to go yell at him to turn it down, but I saw dad quickly head up the stairs, and I knew that it would be taken care of. Instead, I turned and headed back to my room.

Somehow, I just couldn't shake the thoughts of what Suze was up to last night. Was she really seeing some guy? I know that Adam guy was interested in her, but surely, she wasn't sneaking out to see him. And it obviously wasn't Bryce, since he didn't say anything. Was it someone else?

Or was it really gang stuff? Was it really Suze and her gang that ruined that statue's head? If that _was_ her, _WHAT _was she thinking?!

She could get in big trouble for that.

But I didn't want to accept that either. I mean, Suze wouldn't really do something like _that_.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and I decided that I would go upstairs and check on her (to make sure she was still there).

It's not like I wanted to see her again so soon or anything. That _definitely_ wasn't it.

I trudged up the stairs, hoping that she wasn't asleep already. But, even if she was, I still needed to say something. I needed to check on her and make sure she was okay. I needed to make sure that she didn't sneak out and get hurt with this gang. Or guy. Or whatever she's been up to.

Maybe if I just tell her that I'm concerned, she'll listen. So that's what I headed up there to do.

As I made my way up the stairs, I tried to think of what to say.

"Suze, I'm concerned that…." No. That wouldn't do. It sounded way too professional.

"Suze, you shouldn't be so irresponsible…" No. That would never make her upset, and I didn't want to do that.

"Suze, I know that it was you……" No. I definitely shouldn't accuse her of something when I don't know for sure.

"Suze, look, I really like you and it bothers me……" No! _DEFINITELY_ not that!

I knocked on the door, as I continued to think up alternatives.

I heard the door open slowly, and I looked up in Suze's face to see her squinting at me through droopy eyes.

I think this may be the first time she actually looks more tired than I do. I almost felt bad for waking her up.

She looked so cute, with her eyelids drooping, as she rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes. Her hair looked a little wild, and yet, it looked perfect that way. She looked up at me, and I noticed how tired she really looked.

She must have really exhausted herself last night.

Oh, right. Last night. That's what I came to talk about. So I opened my mouth and said what first came to mind, without really thinking it through first.

"Look, I don't care if you're gonna take the car out at night, just put the keys back on the hook, okay?"

Great. That probably sounded so mean and accusing. She probably was never going to like me now. Although, that's not something I should be worrying about. I shouldn't actually _want_ her to like me.

What is wrong with me?

Suze stared up at me and said, "I haven't been taking your car out at night, Slee—I mean, Jake."

Slee----what was she going to call me?!

Obviously, she was denying it. But I knew she was lying. I mean, the keys were missing, she had them, AND the gas gauge was down. It was clearly obvious.

"Whatever. Just put the keys back where you found 'em. And it wouldn't hurt if you pitched in for gas now and then," I added.

I hoped that didn't sound mean. I hoped that it sounded protective older brother-ish and not protective obsessive creepy-stalker-ish.

She kept looking at me and tried responding again. She spoke much slower this time.

"I haven't been taking your car out at night, Jake."

I really wanted to believe her. Honestly, I did. But I KNEW she was lying. It was obvious. She clearly wasn't going to admit it, so I dropped it and said the next thing that was on my mind.

"What you do on your own time is your business……."

Even though I wish it was my business. I also wish I was involved in these little plans of hers. But I didn't say that, of course.

"I mean, I don't think gangs are cool or anything," I said, hoping that she understood that I knew what she was up to. Also, I wanted her to know that I disapproved. Hopefully, she would give it up.

"But it's your life. Just put my keys back so I can find 'em," I finished.

I hoped that I got the point across without upsetting her. I hoped that she would just agree with me and decide that this gang thing wasn't worth it. (Assuming that it even was a gang, and not some guy, after all….I hoped.)

Finally, she nodded and said, "Okay, I will," as she shut the door on me.

I knew it! So she did take my keys. Of course, I still would have known, even if she had denied it again. Still, it was nice to know that she admitted it, and that I was right.

Although I really hoped that I wasn't right about the gang thing….

Finally deciding that this night was a success, I walked back to my room for a well-deserved night of sleep.

A/N: Okay, there you go. I hope you like it!

Be sure to review! It helps encourage me to write faster and know what to change.

I can't wait for the next part. It's going to be my favorite……..Jake and David rescuing Suze! Yay!

Please review, okay?!

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

A/N: Okay, I get that their siblings, but it is STEP-siblings. So technically, it's not wrong. It's just weird. But I read a Suze/Jake (Sleepy) story, and it was amazing and I was really interested. So, when I re-read some of the books, I noticed a lot of scenes that could be taken as a protective older brother BUT if you open your imagination just a little, it could almost be seen as jealousy. So at least try it, first. Then if you don't like it, that's fine. But at least give it a try! And be sure to let me know what you think!

I was just having an incredible time with Suze. We were in my new Camaro with the T-tops off, driving along with her beautiful brown hair blowing in the breeze. I had one arm around her and one hand on the wheel and she was smiling up at me. She looked incredibly hot, even though she was still wearing her leather jacket that I didn't like too much. Although, I have to admit, it was growing on me.

She turned to me and opened her mouth to say something……..

"Jake!"

She was whispering my name.

"Jake!"

Correction, she was practically yelling my name in my ear. Well, it was the quietest yelling I've ever heard. If that's even possible. Then I felt myself being shaken.

"Jake! Come on! Wake up!"

I slowly opened my eyes and looked up to see….David?!

I looked around, trying to orient myself and realized that I was actually in my room. Not in my new Camaro. And Suze was definitely not here. I hate when your dreams are so much better than reality.

I was still groggy and confused when I heard Dave say something that _definitely_ caught my attention.

"Jake! Hurry get up! Suze needs our help! We have to get to the school and find her!"

I looked up at him, confused. How did he know that Suze was in trouble? How did he know where to find her?

"But, how? What's going on?" I asked, incredibly confused.

"We don't have time. Just hurry up, grab some clothing, and get your keys to the Rambler," David said, panicking.

I jumped out of bed and looked for something to put on.

"Hurry, Jake. Or we might be too late," he said, sounding very worried.

If I had ever rushed in my entire life, it was at this moment. What did he mean _too late?!_ Those words should never be used in a sentence with my Suze. Ahem, I mean, Suze.

I really hoped that Suze was safe. I hoped that she didn't get into a gang war or something.

What if someone had killed her? What if she had been shot and left for dead?

All of the worst scenarios passed through my mind. I kept picturing Suze in millions of different situations, but none of them were pretty.

I took a deep breath and grabbed the nearest pair of jeans and my Army jacket and threw them on. I didn't have time to worry about a shirt. A jacket would have to do.

I grabbed my keys off the hook where I left them. Thankfully, Suze hadn't decided to use them to get to her destination tonight. Hopefully, we would still get to her in time.

In time for what, exactly, I wasn't sure. But I knew that I had to get there in time for whatever it was. I didn't want to risk hearing the words "Suze" and "too late" ever again!

I rushed outside to see David waiting by the Rambler. I unlocked the doors as we both jumped in. I threw the car in reverse and drove as quickly as possible to the Mission.

I don't know if I've ever driven that fast in my life. I mean, yeah, I do sort of do a rolling stops at STOP signs and all of that, but usually I drive the speed limit. Not tonight though. Luckily, there weren't too many cars on the road.

I couldn't help but worry that I wasn't going fast enough. If only I had my Camaro, I would have been there ages ago…

I noticed that my hands were shaking a bit, and I took a deep breath as I ran my hands through my hair that was tousled from sleep. Funny thing is, even though I had been woken up in the middle of the night, I actually felt _more_ awake than usual. Usually, I walk around groggily. But not this time. I was wide awake and alert. I had to be ready for the worst.

What if a gang fight was still going on with Suze stuck in the middle? I would have to think of some way to get her out, even if it killed me. I couldn't just leave her in there after all. A good older brother would never do something like that.

I imagined Suze with other gang members all around her having a war and I shuddered. I tried to quickly push the thought aside as I pushed the pedal to the floor. Then again, I was practically driving the whole way there with the pedal to the floor, but I really didn't care. David didn't seem to mind either. He just looked incredibly worried.

What did he know? What was happening? How did he know that Suze was in trouble?

Finally, after what felt like ages, we pulled up to the street that the Mission was on. There was a police car parked near the Mission.

Well, I definitely ruled out a giant gang fight, since I'm pretty sure the cop would have noticed something of that magnitude.

"Are you sure she's here?" I turned to David, asking curiously. It didn't look like anyone was at the school.

"I'm sure, just hurry," he said, sounding absolute. I didn't question him again.

I pulled up and parked the Rambler in the shadows so that the cop couldn't see. David and I quietly got out of the Rambler and walked through the shadows toward the Mission, being careful not to disturb the cop.

I reached the front gate and tried it. _Just great_. It's locked.

"It's locked. What are we supposed to do?" I asked, worried.

"Hmmm…" David, said, looking around. I saw his eyes widen as he crawled to the ground. I saw him squeezing through the space between the bottom of the gate and the concrete. It was a somewhat tight fit, but he made it. He quickly opened the gate from the inside to let me in. I locked it back, just in case, so we didn't arouse any suspicion. I wasn't sure what was going on, and I wanted to be as careful as possible.

We walked through the courtyard slowly, looking back and forth and over our shoulders in case someone was hiding. I didn't see any sign of anything abnormal, except that it looked incredibly creepy with no lights on. It was also eerily quiet, without the sound of the fountain. We didn't see any sign of Suze though, so we continued to walk.

My first thought was that David was wrong and that she wasn't really here. But then I looked over to see him looking frantically, incredibly worried. I had to believe him, because well, David was always right. Well, except for this idea that he has about ghosts. Besides that, though, he was always right. I've never seen him this worried in my life.

So my next thought was that something bad had happened to Suze. I just got a very bad feeling as we walked further and my stomach lurched.

What would I do if I saw Suze with bullet holes in her? Or saw her lying unconscious on the floor? Or worse, what if she was dead?

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't think about it. Suze wasn't dead. She _couldn't_ be dead. She had to be safe. She just had to okay!

I sped up, walking faster, because I was becoming too anxious. I had to find her, and I had to find her NOW! I had to see that she was safe and hold her in my arms.

Okay, maybe not the latter. Even though I'd like to, it might make her a little uncomfortable. But I didn't care. I just needed to see her safe this very second.

We walked into the breezeway, and that's when we saw it. Tons of rubble. The breezeway had apparently collapsed.

What the heck was Suze up to?! The pillars that hold up this breezeway have lasted through nearly 300 years of earthquakes and everything else you can think of. Yet, whatever Suze was up to was able to cause them to collapse?!!

What was she thinking with this gang of hers?! Was she crazy?

I immediately started panicking. Suze had to be here somewhere. What if she was buried? What if all her bones were broken? What if she was dead?

I started running through the breezeway, calling her name and looking through the rubble. I had never felt so worried in my entire life.

This was bad. It looked like a tornado or earthquake had struck. I had a feeling that Suze was stuck somewhere in the middle of all this rubble. I started screaming louder.

"Suze! Suze!" I shouted, frantically.

Then I heard a sound, the sound of an angel.

"Jesse! Don't! Go Back! It isn't Safe!"

Who was this Jesse?! I felt my eyes narrow. Some Jesse he was, leaving Suze in this mess. I would have been almost a little jealous, but then realized I had more important things to worry about.

"Here she is! Jake, I found her!" I heard David yell, as his voice fluctuated. He sounded worried and relieved all at once.

I ran over as quickly as I could and saw Suze covered in large chunks of timber. She looked pretty banged up, and her body was nearly invisible due to the massive amounts of wood covering her. I felt my heart break and my head rush with worry. My poor Suze! I asked if she was alright, but instead of answering my question, she said something else.

"Help me up," she said.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Clearly, I should have been helping her all along instead of standing here.

David and I began to lift the larger pieces of timber off of her, and then, when it finally looked clear enough, we decided to pull her out.

"Wrap your arms around my neck," I instructed her.

For the first time since I've met her, she listened to me without question or complaint. She slowly lifted her arms and latched them around my neck, her body pressing against mine.

I took a deep breath and I could smell her vanilla scent, just like that day in the car. Vanilla was definitely my favorite scent, I had decided.

The feeling of her arms around me and her body pressed against mine had to be the most amazing feeling in the world. Or, well, it would have been had I not been incredibly angry with her for coming here and taking part in whatever this was, as well as completely worried about her, and desperately ready to get out of here in case anyone came by.

I pulled her up as David wrapped his arms around her waist and we struggled to get her loose. After numerous pulls, we finally got her body free from the rubble. That was a lot of work. I may do ab exercises somewhat frequently, but I was definitely not in top shape. We all leaned up against the dais as we tried to catch our breath.

I panted as I looked out over the ruins of the breezeway, or at least part of the breezeway. What was Suze thinking causing something like this?! Was she really inconsiderate enough to cause this much damage to the school? I thought she was maybe finally starting to like it here, and she had to go and pull this stunt.

I looked over at her, panting heavily, and I realized that I was more worried than angry. What if she had broken bones or something?

In between breaths, I decided to ask her again if she was okay. Just to be safe.

I saw her look over towards me, but she didn't answer me. I saw her glance at my outfit, and I felt myself feeling uncomfortable. She probably thinks I'm a freak for not putting on a shirt. But, hey, I was worried about her.

I saw her eyes land on my chest, since my Army jacket was hanging open. Her cheeks turned red, and I bet she didn't even notice that she had subconsciously wet her lips.

She may not have noticed, but I _definitely_ noticed. Boy, had I noticed. I felt a surge of emotions flood through me that were definitely unfamiliar. I felt pleased, and I hate to admit it, but I think I felt a rush of desire.

I tried to push the thoughts away, because it was just weird and uncomfortable. But still, I was pleased that she was obviously impressed with all of the hard work I had put into getting this six pack.

Those long workouts had definitely paid off.

I imagined what it would be like if she were to run her hands down my chest….

Then, I quickly pushed the thought away. Why am I such a pervert?

I noticed that she was still staring at me, so I looked at her curiously.

If only I could see inside that mind of hers to know what she had been thinking.

She finally noticed my curious gaze, and then she pulled her eyes away from my chest (almost as if she didn't want to, unless I'm just fooling myself) and looked back up in my eyes.

"Yeah," she said, as she pushed some hair out of her mesmerizing green eyes. "I'm fine. A little banged up, maybe. But nothing broken."

I heard David mention that Suze should go to the hospital, then looked to me and asked me if I agreed.

I was going to say yes, of course, because well I had to be sure she was safe. I didn't want her to have a concussion or something and go to sleep and not wake up the next morning. I couldn't lose her after I had just saved her!

But Suze instantly answered for me, "No. No hospitals."

David mentioned that she could have a concussion and then started listing the tests that she may need, but Suze responded again.

"No," she said as she brushed off her leggings and stood up. She looked a little wobbly, and I was about to put my hands out to steady her or offer to carry her, but she was already starting to move.

"Come on. Let's get out of here before somebody comes. They were bound to have heard all that," she said, nodding towards the place where the priests and nuns resided, where a few lights had just turned on.

"I don't want to get you guys in trouble," she finished.

Yeah, right. But she wanted to get herself in trouble?! Or even killed?! Apparently, she didn't care _too much!_ What was she thinking pulling a stunt like this?

I was absolutely furious with her.

"Yeah, well, you might have thought of that before you snuck out, huh?" I said, sarcastically as I stood up.

Okay, maybe I was a little harsh, but she had almost gotten herself killed. Didn't she think about the fact that we might miss her if something were to happen? Or what if she had ended up in the hospital in the shape that Father Dom was in? What if _that_ had happened?! Had she thought about that?! Apparently not!

I started heading towards the main gate, where we had entered, in order to get out of here before someone came out and found us at the scene of the crime. Even if I didn't even know what the crime had been. Probably some stupid gang initiation. Suze was so irresponsible sometimes.

We reached the front gate, where David and I walked through and Suze decided to lock it from the inside and wriggle out. She didn't want to raise suspicion that anyone had been here. I don't know if she was hoping that they'd think it was an earthquake or something. I didn't know.

So Suze wriggled out from underneath the gate and I saw her look over to her bike.

"Forget about it," I said, as I waved her along. "You might get noticed by that cop."

She nodded her head in agreement as she followed David and me back to the Rambler through the shadows.

We all piled into the Rambler, and then I decided it was time to give Suze a piece of my mind.

"What the heck did you think you were doing?!" I shouted, furious.

I think all of the emotions and weird thoughts I've been repressing all just turned themselves into fury. Because, I was absolutely furious.

"I mean. Come on, Suze. I thought you were smarter than this. Going down to the school in the middle of the night for some stupid gang initiation. That doesn't seem like you. You're too intelligent for that. You don't want that kind of life!"

I paused to look over at her, but she was just sitting there, listening quietly.

At least she was finally listening to me without talking back or disagreeing, so I continued.

"And what kind of friends do you think they are, anyway?"

Especially this _Jesse_, I thought disgustedly. I mean really, this Jesse couldn't have been too great if he hadn't even shown up to save her. Whoever he was obviously wasn't good enough for her.

"I mean, what kind of _friends," _I started, saying the word "friends" as sarcastically as possible.

"leave you to die under piles of roofing tiles?!" I finished, still furious. By now, I was constantly glancing over at her as I waved my hands around.

She still sat, saying nothing.

"If you're like bored or in need of a thrill or something, take up surfing," I said, trying to picture it. I could just picture Suze in a suit, me by her side, teaching her to ride the waves.

But then I shook my head, I was starting to get distracted again. Why was it so hard to stay angry at Suze?!

"If you're gonna have your head split open, it might as well be while you're riding a wave, dude," I finished, proudly.

Maybe Suze would take my advice and give up this stupid gang thing. It has caused her nothing but trouble.

I was about to continue when I heard Suze ask how David had known where to find her. That was a good question. I wasn't even sure of the answer myself.

"I don't know. All I know is, I was catching some pretty heavy-duty Z's…"

I didn't mention how these Z's included me dreaming of her. I didn't think she'd be too happy with that answer. Plus, I definitely didn't want to admit that aloud. I barely even wanted to admit it to myself.

"when all of a sudden Dave is all over me, telling me we have to go down to the school and find you. How'd you know she was down there, anyway, Dave?"

Dave's face turned incredibly pale, like a ghost. "I don't know. I just had a feeling," he said.

He looked really freaked out, and I became awfully curious. I saw Suze's eyes widen, as she turned to look at him. She tried to meet his eye, but he wouldn't look back.

What was going on?

Apparently, David knew something that Suze was worried about him knowing. But what could it have been?! What was going on?!

Finally, we arrived at home, and I was incredibly exhausted. After all of that worrying, then the heavy work of digging Suze out, then the anxiety of sneaking out, and the rage that came in the car, I had pretty thoroughly earned myself a good night's sleep. Too bad I wouldn't get it, since I had to wake up so early for school.

We snuck back into the house, and thankfully, only Max woke upon our arrival. He jumped up and tried to lick all of us as we made our way inside. I turned to head towards my room but decided to watch Suze and David first, just in case. I saw Suze look over at David, waiting to see what he said, but he didn't say anything. He just shut his door, so I turned around headed back to my bed.

I threw off my army jacket and jeans, leaving just my boxers and climbed into my bed. I had never looked forward to sleep more than this in my entire existence.

A/N: I hope that I did this part justice. It's my favorite part of the story. I love when Suze wraps her arms around Jake, and I also love when Suze stares at his chest.

What did YOU think? Good? Bad? Too out of character? Or just right?

Anything I should change?

Well, I think I should only be posting one or two more chapters for this story. I hope that you've liked it so far.

_Please, Please, PLEASE REVIEW?!_ I really don't like updating if I don't get reviews, because I feel like no ones reading or even interested. Let me know that you are. And thanks to all of my readers so far! =)


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Shadowland: Jake/Sleepy's POV

Rating: Probably K+

Disclaimer: I do not own these stories. The talented Meg Cabot does, of course.

Summary: This is the Mediator, book one: Shadowland. But, it's in Jake/Sleepy's POV. It's about his feelings in the book, and his feelings for Suze. Just what exactly is going on? And why is his step-sister so frequently on his mind?

A/N: Here's the last chapter!

Read it all up and enjoy! Savor every last word! =)

The rest of the actual book shows hardly anything about Jake, so I'm definitely going to have to ad-lib quite a bit. It might be a bit different from what really happened, but we don't know. Plus, it's my story. So yeah…….I hope that you still like it! Be sure to review and let me know!

I woke up to my alarm clock going off, almost immediately after my head hit the pillow. Or at least it felt that way. My body felt like I had been pounded with hammers, and my head felt much heavier than usual. If I had ever walked around looking as if I was half-asleep, it was definitely today.

I didn't even bother trying to look as nice as usual. I just showered and got dressed. Styling the hair could be ignored just this once.

I grabbed my jacket, with my eyes half closed, and headed to grab the keys. I looked around to see that David had basically the same appearance as me. His clothes were a little wrinkled, his hair was sticking up a little bit, and his eyes were half closed.

I looked over at Brad and let out a grunt when I saw that his hair was styled, as usual, and he didn't look tired at all. _How lucky_.

I looked around, but I couldn't spot Suze.

"Did anyone see Suze around this morning?" I asked, curiously.

I looked over at David. He looked concerned, but then he shook his head no.

I felt a panic rise in my chest. I really hope she hadn't decided to go out again last night after we got home. She wouldn't do that, _right?!_ Not after my lecture. I mean, she looked like she was actually listening to me. I was hoping that she'd take my advice and take up surfing instead.

I heard Dad shout from the other room, "I think she's still asleep. We tried to wake her already, but she wouldn't budge. She didn't even open her eyes to look at us. We think the jet lag has finally caught up with her."

Jet-lag. Yeah, right! He wishes. If only he knew was she was _really_ up to that was making her so tired. I'm pretty sure being practically buried alive would drain the energy from anyone.

"I'll go check on her one more time, just to be sure," I said, heading up the stairs.

I needed to see for myself that she was actually there.

Plus, I wanted to make sure that she was still breathing and all that. You never know what kind of internal damage could have occurred last night. I'm not a doctor or anything, but she was buried under some pretty heavy pillars.

I jogged up the stairs, knocked quietly just in case, and then entered when I heard no answer.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. At least she was home. That was definitely a good thing.

I walked over to the side of the bed to look closer.

I saw her beautiful brown hair cascading all around her as her chest rose and fell with each breath. Her lips looked a deep red and her cheeks showed a slight blush. She looked so calm and peaceful that I hardly wanted to disturb her.

I just sat there and stared for a minute, trying to take the image in.

It wasn't like I wanted to watch her or anything.

It was only because I was concerned about her. That's _all_. Really. She could have a concussion, after all. That might explain why she didn't wake up.

That was definitely the only reason I stood there staring at her. Just to make sure she was okay. That's all.

Her lips showed a slight smile, and I felt myself smiling back. I saw a piece of hair fall in front of her face, and before I knew what I was doing, I brushed it away. Her skin was so soft that I let my fingers linger there for just a second, before realizing what a creep I was being, and pulled my hand away.

Suze seemed like a completely different person in her sleep.

Instead of the rough exterior she normally carried, she looked sweet and vulnerable. She definitely didn't look like someone who would take part in a gang initiation stunt that ended up destroying part of the school. She looked so completely innocent.

_Ha! Right…._ Suze, innocent.

I chuckled at the thought, when I heard a voice from downstairs.

"What's taking you so long up there, Romeo? We're going to be late!" I heard Brad yell up the stairs.

I grimaced and clenched my fists. I was going to kill Brad.

"I'm just trying to see if she'll wake up," I lied. I quickly decided that I would try to wake her up once, just in case.

"Suze," I said, tapping her gently.

"Mmmm," she stirred slightly. "Jesse…." She mumbled in her sleep.

It felt like someone had just punched me in the gut.

This stupid idiot, _Jesse_, apparently leaves her for dead under a pile of tiles and wood to die, and yet she's dreaming about _him!_

Life was definitely unfair.

I finally turned, walking out the door and dragging my aching heart behind me.

Not that it was aching, because she liked this _Jesse_ or whatever. It was just because I was angry that she liked him after he hadn't even tried to rescue her. That's all. Really. I was just concerned for her wellbeing.

"She won't wake up," I said, as I jogged down the stairs.

"It's okay. Just let her be. Let her catch up on some sleep," Dad said.

I didn't really like the idea. Going to school without Suze made me uncomfortable in so many ways.

What if she snuck out again? She could get into danger and I wouldn't even know. I couldn't save her this time….unless David had another one of his psychic moments.

What if she DOES have a concussion and we're just letting her sleep, when clearly that's what you're NOT supposed to do. What about that?

Or what if this _Jesse_ decides to sneak over and see her?! What if he tries to apologize for leaving her for dead? And what if she's so vulnerable and tired that she just forgives him like nothing ever happened?

Plus, I just really didn't enjoy school without being able to at least see Suze passing in the hall every now and then.

All of these issues kept running through my head. I couldn't say them out loud, though. That would be admitting two things I didn't want anyone to know. First, that we had something to do with what happened at the school last night AND second, that I had Suze on my mind. I definitely couldn't admit to either of those.

I must have looked concerned, because dad and Brad both gave me a funny look.

"I'll stay with her," Dad said to me.

"Okay, good," I replied, with a silent sigh of relief. I heard Brad let out a small chuckle as he smirked at me. I glared back and started to head out the door.

"Now, let's go. We're gonna be late," I said, as I headed to the Rambler.

I decided that I could just check on Suze when I got home. If she still wasn't awake, then I'd try taking her to a hospital in case she had a concussion.

The car ride was pretty silent on account of the fact that David and I were both exhausted. And all Brad wanted to do was smirk at me knowingly the whole time.

Oh, how badly I wanted to wipe that idiotic smirk off of his face.

When we got to school, everyone was talking about the collapsed breezeway. I looked at David, and he looked concerned as well. What was going to happen? Were they suspecting Suze (or us, because I'm pretty sure that my fingerprints were all over that crime scene)?

Luckily for us, we found out that everyone was blaming it on an earthquake. I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding.

Apparently, the force (of whatever Suze was up to) was so strong that people felt it all around town. Suze seriously astounds me sometimes. How she managed to take part in something this enormous was just insane!

I still wish I knew what Suze had REALLY been up to, though. I mean, what could possibly bring down that huge breezeway like that? Who else was involved? Why did they all make it out safely, except for her? Why did they leave her?

So many questions that I'm sure will never be answered. Suze doesn't really like to give a lot of details.

Anyway, a lot of the hype finally died down as we were sent to our classrooms by Sister Ernestine. Scary woman!

School dragged by so slowly without Suze around, and it was definitely less interesting. I mean, things were not falling or breaking. No one was being nearly killed. It was actually rather suspicious. Nothing happens at the school until Suze comes to town. Then, it's utter chaos. Now Suze is out for the day, and school is back to normal.

Was I the _only_ one who noticed?!

The only remotely interesting thing I heard was that Suze was elected Vice President. That was no surprise to me, of course. Suze was absolutely amazing. She was intelligent and sensitive. She'd make a great Vice President. Plus, of course, she _DID_ save Bryce, and she is incredibly good looking (I did NOT just think that). After all, popularity and good looks are MOST of the reasons people at the Mission vote for VP. But, lucky for us, Suze has all of that and more.

Suze had only been here in a short time, but she had already managed to change the lives of so many people, especially mine……

After hearing this news, school began to drag slowly again. I can't explain the relief I felt when it was finally over.

As we were piling into the Rambler, I saw Brad staring at me.

"What?" I asked, giving him an annoyed look.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something….." he said, giving that same smirk as this morning.

I glared at him and clenched my fists again.

"Just shut up and get in the car, idiot" I said, hopping into the driver's seat. I was annoyed and exhausted. I really didn't want to deal with Brad right now. I wanted to drive home and make sure that Suze was home, safe and sound, and _alone_.

"Whatever," Brad, said, hopping in the passenger side. "At least I'm not a pervert," he said, giving me a look.

I just gave him a dirty look and pulled out of the parking lot.

What was I supposed to say to that?!

It was true. I _am_ a pervert. What kind of brother (well, _STEP_- brother) worries about his sister _this_ much? And constantly wants to be around her? Worries about if she's going out with another guy? Worries what she thinks about him? Worries if she's home alone or with someone else?

I'll tell you how many: ONE! That's right, _just one_. And that one would be _me_.

So, you see, I couldn't even argue back, because he's right. I am a pervert.

So, instead of arguing back, I focused on driving home and getting us all there in one piece. After all, I was incredibly exhausted. And judging by the look on David's face, he was too.

As soon as we got home, I saw Brad rush up the stairs, stomping past Suze's room. He must still be angry that she got him grounded. But, whatever, he _totally_ deserved it.

I followed suit, up the stairs, but without the stomping. I peeked in Suze's door and let out the breath I was holding.

There she was, sitting on her window seat, flipping through some magazine. The breeze was coming in the window slightly, whipping Suze's hair around her face. She looked up at me with those mesmerizing green eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. She was absolutely stunning.

Brown hair blowing in the wind, green eyes sparkling, looking up at me with the cutest expression of curiosity.

I was going insane.

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, as I turned around and headed out of her room.

As soon as I left, I saw David knock on Suze's door, looking rather shy. I heard Suze tell him to come in, and he entered, carrying Suze's homework with him. Part of me wondered if he was going to talk about how he knew where to find Suze last night. And that part of me _really, really_ wanted to listen to the conversation.

But I didn't. Because no matter how much I worried and thought about Suze, spying on her and listening to her conversation was just plain wrong. And a little stalker-ish.

I went to my room to sleep, but sleep never came. Instead, thoughts of Suze filled my mind.

I heard the phone ring as I was lying there, thinking about the drastic change my life has taken since Suze came into it. Then, after a few minutes, the phone rang _again_. Then a few minutes later, it rang a _third_ time. What was going on? And who kept calling?

I saw Brad walk into my room a few minutes later, and I sighed in annoyance.

"What do you want?" I asked, not hiding my annoyance at all.

"Oh……nothing……" he said, smiling at me with that stupid grin of his. "It's just that….."

"Spit it out, already," I said, fed up with whatever stupid game he was playing.

"I just thought you'd wanna know that apparently, Bryce is transferring schools. Too bad for poor Suze. She and Bryce won't get that date."

"How'd you know about that date? Or that he's transferring?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, I have my ways. Anyway, I bet that's a real bummer for you. I mean, you must be devastated and all. Poor Suze, not getting to go out with one of the most popular guys in school. Suze might actually have to settle for someone else now," he said, giving me a look that practically says 'I'm so onto you.'

"And your point is….?" I asked, acting as if I was confused.

"As if you don't know…. I just thought that maybe you had someone in mind," he said, crossing his arms and smirking again.

"Right. Whatever," I said, waving my hand at him, indicating that it was his time to leave.

"Oh, and just so you know, Suze just got a call from Father Dom. They sure do talk a lot, huh? Maybe Suze didn't like Bryce after all. Maybe she likes older men," he said, smugly.

Brad was such a jerk, especially accusing Suze and Father Dom of having a thing. I shuddered at the thought. He was a _priest!_ And she was a kid! That's just wrong in so many ways!

"Sorry, bro, but I think that if she goes for guys that age, you might be just a _little_ too young…." He trailed off, grinning again.

"Brad….." I warned, throwing a pillow at his face. "Get out of here or I'm going to beat the….."

Luckily, I didn't have to finish that sentence, because he walked out, chuckling, and closed the door behind him.

I groaned in frustration. Brad was such a jerk. I was already in enough agony, and he has to go and rub it in.

What was up with him anyway? Thinking that I wanted Suze to date me?!

Was he crazy?

She's my sister, well _STEP_-sister, but still. I mean, why would I want to date her?

Why was I so interested in Suze's life? Why did I worry so much about her? Why am I unable to breathe when I look into her eyes? Why did I constantly think about her? And WHY do I get this weird fluttering feeling in my stomach when I see her?!

Why? Why? Why?!!!

And then I realized that I finally needed to admit it. Not out loud or anything. And DEFINITELY not to anyone else, but at least to myself.

Apparently, ignoring these feelings that I've been having didn't make them go away. And they definitely didn't seem like they were going away anytime soon.

So I might as well just accept it. It was pretty torturous trying to make up excuses or ignore it.

I finally have to admit the truth.

I like my sister. I like Suze. And not like as in I think she's a cool person (even though I do) or like as in I can stand her. Not even like as in I wouldn't mind hanging out with her.

I mean, I _like, like_ her, as in I wouldn't mind dating her, or even kissing her. A lot.

And that brings me to my next conclusion: My life is definitely messed up. I'm such a weird pervert that I can barely even look myself in the mirror anymore.

Why did I have to have feelings for my step-sister?!

At that moment, I realized that my life had changed drastically when Suze entered into it. Ever since she came into my life, I felt as if my life had become a constant roller coaster. And I had the feeling that it wasn't going to stop here. Although, when it would finally stop, I had no idea.

But I knew one thing: It was going to be one _CRAZY_ ride!

A/N:

THE END! Okay, I'm all finished. Let me know what you thought! Should I try to do more of the series in Jake's POV? Or was this better as a one time thing?

Please tell me what you think, whether you loved it or hated it….


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